Arkenstone Stables
by DragonKin Myrna
Summary: Thorin is the owner of the prestigious Arkentsone Stables and the prized Stallion Erebor. Bilbo calls in a favor from a friend who is as broken, if not worse, as the stallion. In order to save his stable Thorin must save Eohild from her past. ( This is better than it sounds I promise! Please give this story a chance and Rate and Review! ) This is set in a modern AU.


Arkenstone Stables

Chapter 1: Meetings, Greetings, Rescuing hats.

Eohild fiddled with the silver cuff on her right wrist for the millionth time as the large truck with the horse trailer attacker to the back rumbled up the freshly laid gravel drive that lead to one of the largest breeding and training facilities of horses in the world. Arkenstone Stables was the crowning jewel of the equestrian world for many years, until recent events had occurred which lead to Eohild's being summoned to the barn. A soft chuckle from the driver caused the girl to scowl.

"Do stop worrying my dear, it only serves to mar your fair features." The old man in a grey coat chuckled.

"If my features were half as fair as you claimed I would be married by now Gandalf." Eohild grumbled.

"That is very likely to happen during your stay here, there are quite a few bachelors of desirable elegibility." Gandalf said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I am here to help with a problem horse and get this barn back on track. Not to flirt." Eohild said feeling a bit more confident. A week ago she had received a video call from her friend Bilbo Baggins, the manager of the esteemed stables, begging her for help. Something had happened to a prized stud throwing the barn into jeopardy, the horse was a danger to everyone around him and had broken a stable hands arm with one bite! Without a second thought Eohild had said yes and packed her things. Now here she was arriving at the large oak wood barn that towered over her head like a mountain. Eohild nearly forgot to breath when and irritated whiney reminded her to start unpacking.

"Eohild!" A cheery voice made Eohild pause in her opening of the trailer doors. Bilbo was trotting over to her with a cheerful and relieved smile, his copper curls waved pleasantly in the light breeze.

"Bilbo, oh it's good to see you!" Eohild grinned as she wrapped her friend in a hug. Bilbo smelled like cinnamon, a warm hearth, and apple tart which was probably fresh out of his oven if she guessed correctly. Bilbo just laughed and gave her a squeeze in return. An impatient nicker pulled the two friends apart. Eohild rolled her eyes.

"I will let you attend to your boys if you will allow me to, uh oh how do I put it? Fend off the barn hands." Bilbo said with a nervous chuckle. Gandalf had disappeared, as usual, while Eohild saw to the trailer.

"Fend them off? What are they a pack of terriers?" Eohild laughed as she opened the back of the trailer.

"More like hyenas." Bilbo muttered.

"Speaking of which." Gandalf said announcing his presence, "here they come!"

"Mr. Bilbo! We came to see this miracle worker you hired!" a dark haired young man shouted as he raced out of the barn with a blonde haired man that could have been, and probably was, his twin. They were followed by another young man with russet hair and bright eyes.

"Yes she is here, and I will introduce you as soon as she is done unloading and If you behave!" Bildo said shaking a finger at the trio. All three gave him excited smiles, "Eohild, when you have a moment there are three cheeky boys who would like to meet you!"

"I'll be right out! And I doubt they are as cheeky as the boy in here, hey! Keep your nose to yourself you devil!" Eohild exclaimed from in the trailer.

"She put her boyfriend in the trailer?" Kili asked in frightened whisper.

"Eohild is not that kind of person, unless she is provoked mind you, and she happens to be Very single." Gandalf said with a wink. Kili grinned right back at the older man, the sound of many feet moving inside the trailer drew the attention of the group. A sliver bodied horse with a black mane and tail jumped out of the trailer, he was followed by a shiny sorrel with a long blaze. When the silver colored horse saw the group by the trailer he nickered and stuck his head back in the trailer.

"Its your fault I am not already outside this box thank you!" Eohild said as she jumped out. Straightening her plain blue t-shirt and black ball cap. The sorrel horse nosed her and looked at the group. "Oh, um, hi I am Eohild." She said suddenly feeling shy.

"Nice to meet you! I am Kili and this is my twin Fili, he may be older by I am the more handsome of the two of us!" Kili said cheekily. Fili smacked him on the back of the head.

"Hello Ms. Eohild, I am Ori." The russet hair young man said with a gentle smile. Eohild smiled back, "Are these two your horses?"

"More like my family, yes they are mine. This one is Frodo, he's an Egyptian Arabian stallion that I was given. And this is Samwise or Sam, my quarter horse stallion, rescued him from a slaughter house." Eohild said stroking each horse in turn. Frodo nibbled at her cap while Sam leaned into the touch contentedly.

"You said they were both stallions right? How do you keep them together without them killing each other?" Kili asked in amazement.

"With a firm hand and lots of training stallions will interact peacefully with each other." Eohild said with a small hint of pride. Gandalf felt his heart swell happily in his chest, it had been years since Eohild spoke with even a hint of pride in her work.

"I'll apologize upfront for being blunt but, um, why are you here with your stallions?" Fili asked.

"I asked her to come, Eohild has a unique method of rehabilitating stallions that may prove to be key in saving this barn." Bilbo explained, "I have seen her work with some incredibly vicious or hopeless horses, one example is Mirkwood."

"No way! You are telling me that Eohild here is the one who trained that animal?" Kili exclaimed in astonishment. Mirkwood was the massive Mecklenburg stallion owned by Thranduil and ridden by his son Leoglas. The seventeen hand high gray stallion was strong, confident, and flamboyant, everything you want to see in the show ring. The problem had been the stallions anxiety, Eohild had discovered that the horse had a fear of failing in the ring and a fear of crashing into the jumps. This fear was so strong Mirkwood would not go near and arena without surging onto his hind legs so fast that Legolas toppled from his back every time. After a persistent recommendation by Gandalf the proud Thranduil allowed Eohild to work with the horse. After three months of continuous work, jumping demos from Frodo, trust exercises with Legolas, and a fair number of treats Mirkwood was more than ready to tackle his training. The grey stallion was now on his way to compete in the Rolex championships and Eohild had received a promised shared of the winnings from Thranduil for her services.

"Ok I did not train Mirkwood, I merely corrected a problem that he had and helped him face his demons. Horses are very emotional animals, very similar to us in that aspect actually, and they suffer from many of the same things that we do. Wounded pride, anxiety, depression, etcetera. What I do is find said problem and help the horse deal with it and then overcome it." Eohild explained.

"That does not explain why you have those two though." Ori pointed out.

"Frodo and Sam are as much my partners as they are my bodyguards. I have worked with horses that attacked me the first time I got near them. Frodo and Sam keep me from getting to know my doctors too well by keeping those horses off me." Eohild said scratching Frodo's withers.

"Brilliant! Well Bilbo it seems that you really did find the miracle cure for this barn!" Ori said happily.

"I am not so sure, Sam looks like he could survive a round with the big guy but how is Frodo going to handle a horse like-" Kili was cut off but a blood curdling scream from within the barn. The group plus horses ran down to the massive box stall at the end of the barn, the door was open enough for Eohild to see a man with an weird looking hat trying to get out of the stall backwards and a large dark shape coming towards him. Without really thinking the dirty blonde haired girl leaped forwards and seized the man by the arm and hauled him out of the stall while slamming the door. A vicious neigh sounded from behind the heavy oak door.

"Bofur! Are you alright?" Bilbo asked in a shaken voice.

"I am thanks to her! Bloody beast nearly got me head that time!" the dark haired man said with wide eyes.

"Be grateful he got your hat and not your head." Kili remarked.

"What?! No! Aw now I will never get that thing back, Bifur will be so upset, it took him three days to make that hat!" Bofur said sadly. Eohild cursed forever her die hard helpful nature, grumbling to herself she carefully easy back the latch and slipped into the stall. Leaving the door open wide enough so that Frodo could puh his head in or squeeze in if he needed to.

The stall was the size of a master bed room and one almost expected it to be furnished like one to. Fine warm wood shavings covered the floor and really expensive Bermuda hay filled the stainless steel manger, the walls had been padded to prevent any kind of injury and there was a scratching post in the corner should the occupant have and itch in need of attention. None of this really caught Eohild's dark brown eyes, what she was focused on was the weird looking hat in the center of the stall, and the large shadowed horse in the back glaring at her. Eohild could not see him very well but she knew that he was big, and more than willing to attack her if it meant he got to keep that hat.

You could almost hear the spaghetti western standoff theme music play as Eohild glared right back at the horse. Taking a deep breath she met the horses gaze for one minute before lunging for the hat, the stallion screamed at her and charged forwards teeth snapping at her hands. With a deft movement Eohild snatched up the hat, only for the stallions teeth to clamp down on one of the flaps.

"Eohild! What are you doing in there?" Bilbo shrieked when he was alerted to the commotion by the loud scream of the dark stallion.

"I am getting back his hat!" Eohild yelled over the din the stallion was making, "Stop that! Bad boy, you let go of that hat right now!" Eohild scolded tugging firmly on the hat. The stallion made a growling sound before trying to strike her with a foreleg, Eohild swatted him across the nose causing the horse to release the hat. Hat in hand Eohild bolt out of the stall ducking behind Frodo whose pinned ears and snapping teeth kept the other stallion in his stall until the door was shut. Eohild took several deep calming breaths before handing over the rescued hat.

"Thanks dear, I never thought I'd see this beauty again." Bofur said with fond smile at his hat.

"I never thought I would live to see anyone brave or dumb enough to enter Erebors stall like that!" Fili whistled. Eohild's head whipped in his direction.

"Whose stall?" she asked in a whisper.

"Erebor's, the pride of Arkenstone Stables stall." Kili replied.

"What is going on here?" A voice like rolling thunder growled. Eohild turned and felt herself grow very pale, standing in the alley way of the barn was the very angry owner of Arkenstone Stables. Thorin Oakenshield.


End file.
